Means for opening or closing sliding windows and the like



Feb. 7, 1928.

H. SMITH MEANS FOR OPENING 0R CLOSING SLIDING WINDOWS AND THE LIKE FiledApril 6. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l 1 -I. n vllllillllullnll r m m h +6 F m1? 0 ii n 1 Ii..- ||||||IL .l\ l i l l l I |l|| d a- 31 2 m bII //C fwwr m w M 4 illlnll Feb 7, 1928. 1,658,693

H. SMITH MEANS FOR OPENING OR CLOSING SLIDING WINDOWS AND THE LIKE FiledApril 6, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2 b i b 5 INVQNTUR Patented Feb. 7,1928.

PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY SMITH, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

MEANS roia ornnrne on onosrive SLTVDING wriinows an!) THE LIKE.

Application filed April 6, 1926, Serial 1-10. 100,132, and in GreatBritain MarchS, 1926.

This invention relates to means for closing or opening windows, doors orother sliding panels or members (hereinafter re fer-red to asfwindows)operating on the principle described in my prior United hitatespatentapplication No. 66,374.

The invention has for its object the pro vision of certain improvementsadapted to facilitate and cheapen the manufacture of thewindow-operating and control means while providing a compact form ofdevice which is self contained and may be readily applied in associationwith a window of a motor car, railway carriage, ships saloon or thelike.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in combination withmeans of the above character for controlling a window, a device adaptedto prevent the rattling or play of the window within its bed or guidinggrooves.

The invention comprises the provision of a device for opening or closinga window which includes a rotary member or drum located withits axis atright angles to the plane of the window and having operative connectionwith the window and in association with which a brake device is,provided for controlling the rotation of the drum. The rotary member ismounted in association with a spring adapted to cause the movement inone direction of thewindow and the braking means comprise a member orshoe having a wedge-like action upon the brake drum in one direction ofmovement.

According to theinvention the means for preventing rattling or play ofthe window con'iprise a plunger elementadapted to bear with r ientpressure towards the window and carrying a resilient pad of rubber orother material, preferably of dished or cupped form so that when pressedagainst the window by its resilient means it engages the window with asuction action. Manipulative means are provided for moving the resilientpad or suction element into and out of engagement with the window.

in the accompanying drawings Figures 1 and 2 are general diagrammaticfront elevations of a motor car door show ing a sliding window andindicating the positions or mounting of adevice according to theinvention thereon;

Figure 3 is a central sectional elevation of a window-raising andcontrol device accord ng to the invention;

"igure i is a rear view of one form of the device seen in section inFigure 3;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the device shown in Figure l;

l i urc 6 a detail view showing an alternative mode of adjustment forthe abutment member seen in Figure 4;

li igure is a sectional side elevation of an altenative iorin ofwindow-raising and control device according to the invention. while .hure 8 is a front view of the device she (31 in section in Figure 7liigure 9 is a fragmentary sectional ele- "in or" another. alternativeform or arment of the device for. raisingan'd controlling a windowaccording to the in- ;enti-zni, and

Figure 10 is av fragmentary view illustrating the part of the deviceshown in member and its manipulating means;

Figure 11 is a detail plan view er the top 0 the plate seen in Figures 9and 10 showing the lever form of control in association with anindicator. In carrying the invention into efiect ac cording to oneconvenient mode, by way of example. a plate, bracket or'frame member 1is provided and adapted to be connected to or mounted upon the framingof a motor car door or the like adjacent the sill aoi the win dow (5'(see Figure l or This plate-or frame 1 carries the windowraising andcontrol means (indicated by the general re encc c-Figures 1 and 2)accordin he n vention and may be secured in th l 5. position by aid ofscrews or it may be atmounted that it may be displaceable' or readilydetachable from the doorfor inspec tion or repairs by the aid flit anysuitable means. such as hior catches, or byl'ieiiig l lent-ed in grooveswithin which it may he slid into position and secured;

The plate 1 is formed with or has mounted upon it a short stub axleor'spindle 2 entending therefrom towards "the window so that the axis ofthe spindleis" at rightangles to the plane of the window. This stub axlemay be hollow and internallythreaded at its inner end while having aflange or disc 2 for securing it to the plate 1. The plate is preferablyformed with an angle-piece 1 which is adapted toreside over the sill ofthe window.

Jr flat spiral spring 3 has its inner end anchored to the stub axlewhile its other end is secured to the inner periphery of a rotary memberl which is in the form of a casing for the sprin the arrangement beingsuch that the spring is adapted to promote rotary motion in the casingmember 4-.

It is preferred that the rotary member should take its bearing upon thestub axle. The outer periphery of the rotary casing or drum l is adaptedto function as one member of a braking device and to this end its outerperiphery may be turned or otherwise formed for engagement with a brakememher or shoe. If desired, the casing may be flanged on one or bothsides at its outer periphery with a view to providing a guide for theoperations of a brake shoe or member adapted to co-operate with theperiphery of the rotary casing.

The preferred form of brake shoe or mem' ber comprises a wedge-shapedpiece 5 of curved form adapted to slide with an arenate movement uponthe outer periphery of the brake drum and operate in association with acorrespondingly formed abutmentsurface member 6. The shoe may have afibrous or woven brake lining. An abutment surface is provided and maybe carried by the mounting plate or it may be supported upon anysuitable fixture. the arrangement being such that the brake shoe 5 maybe drawn into intimate contact with the brake drum'in one direction ofrotation thereof with a wedge-like action between the drum 4: and theabutment 6, while in the other direction of motion the shoe is pushedaway by the movement of the drum. lilanipulative control means areprovided for determining the position of the brake shoe as will behereinafter described,

The operative connection between the rotary member and the window is bymeans of a flexible connection 7 wound upon a. drum or pulley surfacecoaxial with the stub shaft. According to one form a nillov or the like?of lesser diameter than the brake drum 4.- is mounted. alongside suchand may be integral with the drunrlor may be formed as a separate picccsecured thereto; for example, the pulley may be in one with a cap forthe drum. shown in Figures 3 and 5, where the drum 4 has a disc-likelateral lid or closure member mounted on the shaft 2 and fitting overthe drum. The pulley and drum may be laterally secured by a screw 2engaging the screw thread ol the hollow axle Q.

, According toan alternative form, the rotary brake casing may belaterally extended to afford a drum or pulley surface upon which theflexible connection may be wound. The flexible connection 7 (orconnections) may be in the form of a wire or in the form of a tape orweb of leather, gauze or other material, such being connected to thewindow by means of a suitable clip or fastening 8.

According to one arrangement (see Figure 1) of mounting the device theflexible connection may unwind over the vertical centre line of thewindow so that the pull is directed immediately in line with the centreof gravity. In this case the window clip 8 has an extended transversecontact with the window with a view to enal'iling the latter to besmoothly raised and lowered within its grooves. Alternatively (seeFigure 2), :1 pair of flexible connections 7 may be employed which maybe interwound upon one and the same pulley member, or a pair of pulleymembers side by side may be employed. In this latter case a. guidepulley (or pulleys) may be employed for directing the pull of theflexible connections at the desired points upon the lower edge of thewindow. Also, in this form the device may be mounted towards one side(for example, the hinged side) of the door and one llcniblo connection 7may extend vertically beneath the device to a clip or fastening 8 whilethe other is carried out at right angles over a guide pulley 9 to theopposite side of the window and down to a second clip P).

The brake shoe 5 is preferably pivotally connected (or by the aid of alink :3) to a plunger rod 5" upon which a spring 5 operates normallytending to thrust the brake shoe 5 into engagement with the rotarymember d and abutment ti. This spring-pressed plunger 5* may be housedwithin a cylindrical casing member 5 or other guiding means may beprovided, and a screw Cap or other device may be employed for thepurpose of varying the tension of the spring. The outer end of theplunger is adapted to be connected to (or have mounted thereon)manipulative control means. For example. the end of: the rod may h screwthreaded and engaged by a rorrw spondingly screw-threaded knob orlllllltl l device so that rotation of the latter cause: the brake shoeto be withdrawn from ii; arresting position while. rotation in the otherdirection permits'thc 'l'ull braking arlion to take place. The knobdevice may be provided with a pointer adapted to ro-opcrate with anindicator or scale which may show the arresting or stop position. anindication florslow movement of the window and an indication for fast orfreer movement of the window.

According to another form of nnmipulal ing means, the outer end of theplunger casing member 5 may have a collar 5 the Ill llll

outer surface of which is provided with a. plurality of cam teeth 5".Upon the outer end of the spindle 5 is rotatably mounted a knob or cap 5the inner side of which is provided with .a plurality of cam teeth 5corresponding with the cam teeth 5; The cap 5 may be secured in positionby a nut 5 upon the rod 5..

In operation the rotation. of the knob causes the cam teeth to rise uponone another and promote an axial displacement of the spindle 5* togetherwith the brake shoe 5. The cam teeth are arranged so that should theperson operating the window tend to turn the knob too far, the teethslip over one another and the knob drops back to its original position,thus preventing the shoe from being Withdrawn too far away from thebrake drum and thus allowing the spring to slam the window up withoutrestraint.

It is necessary under all conditions to provide means whereby the brakeis never completely withdrawn from its action upon the drum and to thisend a cam device as described above may be employed or, alternatively, astop device may be provided, either in association with the plunger orin connection with the rotary knob or control inen'iber, so as to limitthe amount to which the shoe may be withdrawn.

The provision of a stop or equivalent means for limiting the movement ofthe shoe affords modified braking action which may. be convenientlyutilized in connection with a window for a drivers seat so. that the'ver may pi sh down the window and put or his arm for signalling. llhenthe driver withdraws his arm the windowwill return slowly to its closedposition automatically owing to the brake setting.

In carrying the invention into effect according to the mode illustratedin Figures 7 and 8, a plate 1 is provided with ashait't 2 which isrotatably mounted in bearings formed by a pair of casings 10 and 11which are provided, respectively, over a brake drum member 4 and aspring member 53, the casing 10 with the brake drum 4t rc siding on theouter side or" the plate 1. If desired, the plate 1 may form a third orcentral bearing for the shaft or it may be lIJlOYlClfltl with aclearance around the shaft. the bralic drum i is keyed or otherwisescoured to the shaft 2 and the spring has its inner end .tixed to theshaft-2 and its outer end anchored to the casing 11. Both the casings 4and 11 may be secured to the plate 5 by the aid of flanges with whichtheymay be provided and small belts or screws 11 The shaft 2 ispositioned with its axis at ri 'ht an les to the )lane oi? the windowand the inner end of the shaft has i fixedly mount-ed upon it a pull y 7from whi h th flexible connection 7 extends tothe lower edge of the.window The casing 10 is provided with an exten sion} 10- substant-iallytangential to the drum and adapted to operate as a housing for a springplunger 5" upon which the brake shoe carried. The plunger 5 may becontrolled by a knob f having cam teeth which tion but may be a plainrectangular-or cir-.

cular member adapted to be secured adjacent the sill in the desiredposition and it may be so mounted that the extension 10 with themanipulating member 5 may extend tfiou'i the casing horizontally orvertically or in any other situation which may found most convenient tothe hand oil the operator according to the nature 01 the application oithe invention or the situation in which the device is to be employed.

riccording to another modification as illus trated in l igures 9, l and11, a mounting plate 1 is provided with a portion 1" adapted to shaittthe other bearing being provided by a casing 12 secured to the innerside of the plate 1. This casing is adapted to enclose the spring theone hand and to the casing 12- on the other. Outside the casingandi'iearer the window a brake drum is rigidly mounted upon the shaftand has laterally associated with it a pulley 7 which may be termedintegral with the drum or may be separate therefrom and attachedthereto. Alternatively, the pulley may bemounted directly upon the shaft2.

The angular part 1 ot the plate 1 is adapted to support the abutment 6oi the brake shoe 5, the latter being provided with a spring-pressedplunger of the kind already described mounted in a housing or casing 5carried by the angular part l" ol the plate. The control movement of theplunger may be eflected by cam means in dicated by the general reference5 in Figure so that by the partial rotation oi": the member 5 axialmovement is imposed upon the plunger and the braiie shoe. Rotary motionmay be communicated to the member I by means of a lever 13 which extendsupwardly through a slot 13 in the angle portion 1 of the plate. Anindicator shown at 13 may be provided for showing the differentpositions of the lever.

Instead of providing a lever which operates transversely of the angleportion 1 the lever may be mounted so that it operates lcngltiulinallythereof or in a direction paract as one of the bearings for a rotary 3which is secured to the shaft on &

allel to the window. In this case the arm 13, instead of operating uponthe shoe and the plunger with a rotary action, may function through asimple pivoted leverage or sliding cam.

In each of the forms described above it is preferred to mount theabutment 6' upon a pivot, such as 6 (see Figure 4) so that its positionwith respect to the drum may be adjusted. The adjustment means maycomprise'a set screw 6 or the movement of the abutment to ards and awayfrom the drum may beetl'ected by a pivoted eccentric membor, such as 6shown in Figure (3. The position of the eccentric may be adjusted by akey applied to the squared end 6 of the eccentric mounting.

lhe means for preventing rattling of the windowmay be applied to any ofthe forms in which the invention is carried into eli'ect but isillustrated in the drawings in association with Figures a and 5. Towardsone corner of the plate 1. in any suitable situation a housing or guidesleeve 1a is provided for a spring 1st which is adapted to act upon aplunger rod 15. The outer end of the plunger rod extends through theplate and is provided with a pin 15" adapted to be engaged in a cam slot16 in the sleeve of a knob or manipulating member 16. The springoperates so that it tends to force the plunger 15 towards the window andby rotation of the knob 16 and the operation of the slot 16 upon the pin15, the plunger may be retracted. The outer end of the plunger isprovided with a rubber cushioning member which is preferably in the formof a dished or cup-shaped disc 17. lVhen the anti-rattling device is putinto action the spring. 1 1 presses the dished disc or washer 17 againstthe window so that it engages therewith with a suction action andprevents the same from rattling or having undue play in its guidegrooves. The member 17 may be retracted out of engagement with thewindow by a simple turn of the knob 16.

As an alternative to providin an abutment member having a fixed suritaceagainst which the shoe slides. a member may be provided which has aroller or ball contact with the shoe member or a plurality of rollersand balls may be provided. F or example a. pair oi: rollers may bedisposed. with their axes parallel and so that the back of the shoeslides against these rollers, or a single roller may be provided in theregion of the centre of movement 01 the shoe.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is z 1. A device for raising or loweringsliding windows and the like comprising a rotary brake drum and a pulleydrum coaxially mounted and positioned with their axes at right angles tothe plane of the window,

.drum with the window,

a spiral spring operatively connected with the pulley drum, a flexibleelement upon the pulley drum operatively connecting the a brake memberadapted to engage the brake drum with a wedge-like action in onedirection of rotation thereof, an abutment between which and the drumthe brake member is adapted to move and manipulative means fordetermining the operative functions of the brake member.

2. A. device as claimed in claim 1 and. having the pulley drum locatedat a tangent to the centre line of the window so that the flexiblemember exerts a pull vertically below the centre (it gravity thereof.

8. A device as claimed in claim 1 and ham ing a shaft whereon the brakedrum, pulley and spring are mounted, extending at right angles to theplane of the window.

4. A device for raising or loworing'sliding windows and the likecomprising a mounting plate adapted to be secured parallel to the planeof the window, a stub axle extending from said plate towards the windowand at right angles to the plane there of, a rotary brake drum, pulleyand a spring mounted on said axle, a flexible member wound upon thepulley and connected to the window, a brake member adapted to engage thedrum with a wedging action in one direction otrotation thereof and1nanipulating means for controlling the operative functions of the brakemember.

5. A device as claimed in claim 1 and wherein an indicator is providedin asso ciation with the manipulative means to show the operativeposition of the brake member.

6. A device as claimed "in claim 4t and wherein an indicator is providedin association with the manipulative means to show the operativeposition of the brake member.

7. A device as claimed in claim 1 and comprising a spring tending tothrust the brake member into engagement with the brake drum and whereinthe abutment member is mounted towards one end. upon a fixed pivot aboutwhich it may rotate and means are provided for adjusting the angularposition of the abutment about the j'iivot.

A device as claimed in claim 1 and con1- jn'ising a spring tending tothrust the brake member into engagement with the brake drum and whereinthe abutment n'lcmber is mounted to 'ards one end upon a lined pivotabout which it niay rotate. and an eccentric member is provided for:uljusting the angular position of the abutment about the pivot.

9. A device for raising or lowering sliding windows and the likecomprising a mounting plate parallel with the plane of the window andhaving a right-angled part at its upper end adapted to lie along thewindow sill, a rotary drum and a pulley member coaxially mounted andpositioned on the Ill] mounting plate with their axes at i righttat-ion,and manipulative means for deterangles to the plane of the Window, aspiral mining the operative functions of the brake spring operativelyconnected with the pulley, member. 10 a flexible element upon the pulleyoperative- In testimony whereof I have signed my 5 ly connecting it tothe Window, a brake melnname to this specification.

ber adapted to engage the brake drum with a Wedge-like action in onedirection of lo HENRY SMITH.

